Here Are the Queer Movies Playing at AFI Fest 2023

It's time to watch some great queer films!

Searchlight Pictures

AFI Fest is bringing quality queer movies to Hollywood!

Now in its 37th year, the film festival, which runs October 25-29 in Hollywood, has announced its slate of movies, including several queer films that are must-sees.

The five-day festival will open with the world premiere of Sam Esmail’s Leave the World Behind and closes with Bradley Cooper’s Leonard Bernstein biopic Maestro. But between those films, there’s some terrific queer content.

20,000 Species of Bees

“In this sun-soaked, sublimely sensitive debut (from writer/director Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren), an eight-year-old experiences a gender identity crisis over one uncertain summer vacation in Basque Country, where three generations of women in her family reside together.”

All of Us Strangers

Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal star in the latest from Looking creator Andrew Haigh in this “moving, metaphysical ghost story that explores love, loss, and memory.”

Going Varsity in Mariachi

“In South Texas, Edinburg North High School’s prized mariachi team prepares to compete against their rivals, equipped with a mix of determined seniors and rookie musicians in this spirited documentary.”

Smoke Sauna Sisterhood

In Estonia’s Oscar submission for Best International Feature, “tucked away in a forest in southern Estonia, a group of women gather seasonally in a communal smoke sauna. Their traditional practice offers a look into the healing powers of solidarity and sisterhood.”

Slow

Lithuania’s Oscar submission for Best International Feature follows “the whirlwind romance between sex positive dancer Elena and soft-spoken sign language interpreter Dovyda unfolds as Elena attempts to understand Dovyda’s asexuality.”

The Summer With Carmen

“Best friends Demos and Nikitas spend the day on a queer nude beach soaking in the Greek summer sun as they brainstorm a script based on the lively events of last summer.” Directed by Zacharias Mavroeidis.

Orlando, My Political Biography

Based on Virginia Woolf’s classic gender-bending novel, “Paul B. Preciado, with 26 trans and non-binary people, constructs a manifold and beautiful image of transness, one that is both broadening and unifying, devastating and joyful.”